The wait is nearly over for the nation's 16-year-olds. After months of revision, followed by the stresses of sitting exams, they have `enjoyed' a summer anxiously anticipating their grades.

The wait is nearly over for the nation's 16-year-olds. After months of revision, followed by the stresses of sitting exams, they have `enjoyed' a summer anxiously anticipating their grades.

Last week saw record A-level results. This week's GCSEs are also expected to be outstanding.

And as the arguments rage over the standard of exams, one thing is for certain - the pressure on youngsters to perform well at A-level and GCSE has never been so great.

Teachers are in no doubt over the reasons for the continued raising of standards.

The importance of achieving good grades has never been so high.

A generation ago, it was reasonable to expect to get a good job without needing a degree. Apprenticeships and the benefits of `hands-on' experience meant the majority of people started at the bottom and worked their way up the ladder.

Nowadays, a simple degree is often not enough. A first or 2:1 is a common criteria to join many company training schemes, and many students are considering studying for Masters or PhDs to steal a march on their competitors in the workplace.

The importance of gaining good qualifications has filtered down from university level, and can be clearly seen in schools across Wales.

To get that all-important university place, excellent A-levels are required. And to get the right A-levels, you have to have a good starting point with your GCSEs.

The increasing pressure to perform in these national exams is a cause of concern for parents, teachers and children's groups.

The Children's Commissioner, Peter Clarke, has pledged to lobby the National Assembly and Westminster Government to revise the number of exams sat by the nation's youngsters.

Mr Clarke said, "I will be speaking to youngsters across Wales, setting up councils so I can gauge the views of youngsters.

"It is vital their opinions are heard, and politicians realise what pressure we are putting on them.

"There are now so many exams, children are constantly under pressure.

"They know they have to do well to get a job and the pressure from peers, teachers and their parents means some cannot cope."

Since the introduction of SATs, and this year AS-levels, pupils now sit national tests at seven, 11, 14, 16, 17 and 18, followed by annual exams at university.

The pressure is too much for some people and each year stories hit the headlines of youngsters who have taken their own lives because they have been unable to cope.

Last month, 21-year-old Lloyd Bird, from Bridgend, died after his car plunged 100ft off cliffs at Southerndown, the day before he was due to graduate from university.

Although his death has not been directly connected to exam pressure, it is a tragic example of the extreme lengths youngsters can resort to when they feel they cannot cope with their problems.

Samaritans chief executive Simon Armson said, "Every year a number of young people take their own lives during the exam period.

"These tragic suicides often hit the headlines. The despair that many young people feel is often caused by deep-rooted emotional problems, which can be trig-gered by the pressure of exams and the expectations of family, peers and teachers.

"But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Among the celebration of those who have been successful (at A-level and GCSEs), there are hundreds of students across the country fighting with disappointment over their results or simply the emotional backlash after months of stress and anxiety.

"I would encourage all students who feel in need of emotional support not to bottle it up. Talking about feelings is a step in the right direction and The Samaritans are there to listen 24 hours a day."

NSPCC Cymru is supporting the Children's Commissioner's efforts to inquire into the effects of so much testing and assessment.

The charity is concerned that the increased focus on formal assessment and attainment may not be a positive development in schools.

A spokesperson said, "While information on progress is important for teachers, parents and the pupils themselves, too. Many formal requirements may mean that children can't benefit as much as they should from the emotional and social development support that a school can offer.

"It isn't just the stress on pupils and students, the effects on teachers and schools have to be appreciated as well.

"Anyone who visits a school at SATs or GCSE time, will know that the tension is palpable. More of that kind of pressure is unlikely to be beneficial."

The Wales Children's Manifesto (Wales's Children, Our Future), which was drawn up jointly by NSPCC Cymru, Barnardos Cymru, Children in Wales, Save the Children, the Children's Society and the Child Poverty Action Group, has called for changes to the education system.

The charities launched the manifesto in time for the General Election, and are still campaigning together to get the Assembly to deliver their calls.

The manifesto's section on educating children says, "Children and young people face considerable pressure at school. While some cope well, others do not. Enabling children to acquire skills and knowledge to fulfil their potential should be a key priority for Wales.

"The focus on attainment as a measure of school performance fails to recognise and place value on educational practices that work to prevent disaffection and lift the educational achievements of all children."

Geraint Davies, secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers Cymru, said, "School life should not simply be about performing in exams. There is too much pressure put on children to get the top grades and they are not given the chance to develop other skills.

"The more testing that is introduced by the Government, the more the pressure on teachers increases.

"As they feel stresses, the pressures are passed on to the children. Qualifications such as AS-levels, which were introduced to create a broader education, have simply increased the number of exams and taken away the chance to do extra curricular activities."

Steve Brooks, president of the National Union of Students Wales, said, "Some university degrees rest on final exams at the end of three years, which puts a huge pressure on students.

"It would be far better for them to be tested throughout the degree, or have more continual assessment taken into consideration.

"At the moment, regardless of how hard a student works, everything rests on how they perform on the day.

"Some people just aren't cut out for exams and there will be people who can't cope.

"When you consider the pressure to do well to get a job, and the feeling you have to do well because your parents have invested so much money, it can become unbearable." paul.carey@wme.co.uk